Gravel: New Off-Road Racer Coming to PS4, XB1 & PC Early 2018

[imported_rik19]

Not being able to watch the video myself (while at work), what made you decide against the game? I've already got the game, so no turning back, but the reviews seem to be mixed about this game.

He was just saying its looks pretty good for a milestone game, but not a great looking title, cars look cartoony, but a bit odd, the environments differ , some quite good, others flat, crap etc. Some replays are broken and useless, sounds a big improvement for milestone. Basically looks ****, but good fun to play..

But if there is a demo i may try it myself...
rik

 

[Sureboss]

I don't think it looks that bad. As for how well it works with a wheel, I've got no inclination at all to use a wheel with this sort of game. A bit like using a wheel for WipeOut, why?

 

[Scaff]

I don't think it looks that bad. As for how well it works with a wheel, I've got no inclination at all to use a wheel with this sort of game. A bit like using a wheel for WipeOut, why?

Why?

Because its actually bloody good with a wheel, the FFB and steering weight is extremely good, been playing with my rig all night and gave the pad a quick go, I will be using the wheel from now on. Pads not bad, but with the wheel its damn fine.

 

[GroupB]

Played a bit on X1X earlier today. Bottom line: it’s a fun game with decent difficulty. That being said, previous posts complaining about graphics and sound are valid.

 

[PJTierney]

For anyone on the fence whether to get this game or not, there’s a demo available on the XB1.

Currently downloading as we speak.

Thanks for that (and the other responses to my previous post).

I’ve tried the demo, got some thoughts below:

• I don’t like how there is no setting to disable the rewind option; you’d think there would be something in Assist/Difficulty for that. Sure you could just not use it but without a hard lock the temptation will always be there, especially if you were to have a frustrating end to a hotly-contested race.
• Frame-rate’s not great, even on Xbox One X. I wasn’t expecting 60 frames but even if this game’s running at 30 it doesn’t feel as smooth as Forza Horizon 3. Visual detail is okay but not so great compared to DiRT 4. I wasn’t expecting AAA-level visuals but in places this feels more like an upscaled Xbox 360 game than an Xbox One title.
• It seems a little easy difficulty-wise (for reference I’m usually an A/S in Gran Turismo Sport and place very high on Leaderboards in Forza games). For my very first race I turned all of the Assists off and set the AI to the maximum (Very Hard) and still managed to go from last to first within a few laps. My second race on a different track was a little trickier but I reckon I’d have that nailed within 5 or 6 laps of practice.
• The driving experience is okay, though outside of the way that I can hold a slide I didn’t get the feeling that I was driving off-road much at all. There isn’t enough controller feedback to make me feel like the surface beneath my car was uneven. DiRT 4 feels better off-road but even that game pales in comparison to DiRT Rally for challenge and Forza Horizon 3 for fun factor.
• Sound: forgettable music and voiceovers, and the engines don’t have as much of a punch as I was hoping for.

Overall this seems like it would be an “okay” game, but I don’t think it’ll do much for me that I haven’t seen done better elsewhere. It comes across as a downscaled charmless version of DiRT 4 to me and while I enjoyed that game it wasn’t the kind of thing I’d want to go back to again so soon. I knew from the review I saw that Gravel wasn’t going to be a highly polished experience but from my time with the demo I don’t think the fun factor will be there for me at all; it’s a “no buy” from me.

Oh well, at least Burnout Paradise is getting a re-release soon

 

[Scaff]

So what's it like on-line?

 

[Sureboss]

Why?

Because its actually bloody good with a wheel, the FFB and steering weight is extremely good, been playing with my rig all night and gave the pad a quick go, I will be using the wheel from now on. Pads not bad, but with the wheel its damn fine.

I was more referring to the guy claiming it doesn't work with a wheel, for me in this sort of title, strong wheel support isn't vital. Though it's nice to hear it works well for you with a wheel.

 

[ELmarcotuff]

So what's it like on-line?

With only a very select few looking forward to the game, this about what I expected

 

[RazorSharkz]

When I picked this up I laid down a pre order for OnRush too. This should be a good year for arcady off road games.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Played a bit on X1X earlier today. Bottom line: it’s a fun game with decent difficulty. That being said, previous posts complaining about graphics and sound are valid.

So typical with regards to Milestone then.

 

[Northstar]

I’ve only had time to do a couple races, but my first impressions are positive.

The physics feel solid for an arcade game. Graphically it isn’t too bad, certainly nothing breathtaking but I wasn’t expecting it to be.

I’ve only driven the Toyota you start with so it may be different with other cars, but the sound could be better. The music and announcer are also bad, but thankfully we can turn both off.

Also, it’s going to take time to get used to the HUD as it’s hard for me to get my shifting points down without RPM increments visible and it’s hard to go off of engine noise in the game.

I will have some more time this weekend so hopefully my opinion of it is still positive.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Played the demo today, deleted it after 2min. Was watching a gameplay video, was looking good and the guy sayd something like it feels good on wheel blabla its like forza horizon blalbla. Thx god there is a demo you can try first.

Dont be an idiot and pay 70€ on psn for this.
Steam version 26€.

2 minutes ey? Gave it a good go then.

So what's it like on-line?

I was watching Gamer Muscle earlier and he had the exact same experience online, I.e only one other person and capture the flag. That surely can't be a coincidence?

 

[sausageman54]

First of all totally didn’t realize this game was being released today, lol. I thought it was coming out late 2018.

First impression...I did 6 laps with one of the bulkier vehicles with cpu difficulty low so I can get the feel for the game.

With a controller and assists on the default settings, the vehicle drove fine. It didn’t do anything I wouldn’t expect in a game that leans to towards more an arcade experience.

Right now, I would definitely pick it up for 19.99-39.99 when it goes on sale.

 

[Wolfe]

How windy or demanding can the tracks get? Previews gave me the impression that the tracks would be too open and uncomplicated, like Forza Horizon 2 and FH3, which turned me off.

As for how well it works with a wheel, I've got no inclination at all to use a wheel with this sort of game. A bit like using a wheel for WipeOut, why?

Having grown up playing the likes of Out Run, Daytona USA, San Francisco Rush, and the more modern Initial D: Arcade Stage and Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune on full cabinets, I think a wheel is a great fit for a solid arcade racing title.

Much better than any simulator that doesn't nail the FFB or physics just right, IMHO. The more realistic the game, the higher bar it has to clear in terms of FFB and physics for me to tolerate playing it with a wheel. Otherwise there's too much dissonance with my muscle memory -- just give me a controller instead.

 

[Pfei]

So what's it like on-line?

Posted this on your YouTube video, will post here as well for other GTP'ers:

This morning in Argentina (GMT -3) I was getting rooms with five/six players. Great fun but wish we could turn off AI cars filling the field. Capture the flag is awesome.

Unfortunately this will probably end up being another classic excellent Milestone multiplayer implementation that ends up empty. They are so good with online functionality, it's a shame all their games end up with no one playing online.

 

[MeanElf]

...Unfortunately this will probably end up being another classic excellent Milestone multiplayer implementation that ends up empty. They are so good with online functionality, it's a shame all their games end up with no one playing online.

I always thought the drop-off online with Milestone games was due to the next title being out and everyone shifting across to that from the previous one - it was certainly the case with WRC1-4

 

[Pfei]

I always thought the drop-off online with Milestone games was due to the next title being out and everyone shifting across to that from the previous one - it was certainly the case with WRC1-4

I missed out on the Milestone WRC games so I can't comment, but SLRE always had very few people online, even following huge PS Store sales. And Superstars V8 Racing on PS3 the first month in USA had a good player count and we were all having a blast but it died a quick death when GT5 was released.

Now moving beyond Milestone, even many games that sell well are ghost towns online, example DiRT 4. I think it comes down to the perception that devs wish to put on the game. First, it has to be successful. Second, the target audience must be online-oriented. Project CARS 2 audience likes racing online; maybe Gravel customers don't care. WRC 7 has lots of players but the matchmaking is stupid in that you can't join a lobby unless it's idle. GT Sport has a great online player count but even that suffers because of the many GT nostalgics that would prefer a more traditional GT. Assetto Corsa has decent online numbers despite a rocky start and relatively low sales.

Games that excel in player counts are things like Warhawk, Rocket League, World of Tanks, GTS, Fortnite, etc... Because their bread and butter is having people online and that's what they focus on.

Even if Gravel sells a million copies this week I doubt we would see a lot of people online. That's just the way it is for some titles.

 

[Ak1504]

Gravel | First Race | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | Wild Rush @ Blue Paradise Pacific Ocean Long

 

[torque99]

After a few more hours last night, I am still glad I brought the game to fit alongside the serious sims/rally games and I think everyone above has summarised the main points well.

I also agree that:-

Positives+

~Good Old fashioned Arcade one more go ! 'Fun'
~'Easy to use on Wheels and DS4'
~'Great Track designs and Stadiums'
~'Good Choice of vehicles'
~'Solid Frame rate hitting 30fps for most consoles/PC'
~'It has the advantage of cockpit views for an arcade game rather than bonnet & Chase cam'

Negatives-

'Graphics are mixed and overall not bad, some do look stunning in dawn with Skies and the Snow and Rain/dusk/night and reflections look good others look choppy
'Cars not detailed and look arcade' (Maybe they were going for this look as they can render vehicles well i.e Ride2/MXGP3)
'Audio- The main 'very' English narrator says some strange things for a racing game and doesn't quite fit in with the Loud dancing Monster Energy Bearded men
'Car Audio Engine could be better' i.e louder and more 'Raw' for rally cars- It is good for Milestone arcade but no where near Dirt4/Rally.
'No Shutter speed in photo mode'
'No option to turn off flash backs'

You could pick this game apart over lots more niggles/issues but if you have not pre-ordered it try the demo, overall I would say just drop your expectations of what you imagine it will be like (i.e Horzion3/Dirt) and just take it as a plug in and play 'Old School' arcade game like Sega Rally etc as this is what market they are aiming for 👍

How windy or demanding can the tracks get? Previews gave me the impression that the tracks would be too open and uncomplicated, like Forza Horizon 2 and FH3, which turned me off.

Some Cross country P2P are really open but they split it up with jumps along the way, Alaska and Blue Paradise has some tight windy circuits through the forests with some bridges and 90 degree hard braking turns. A good mix of tracks I would say. Plenty of circuits and as a bonus some RallyX (Style) tracks with no jokers. It also has some great Stadium figure of 8 cross-over tracks with the pack of slow cars racing down the other straight as you cross the track, they are then right in front of you as you are on full speed (I had a few full on crashes) and you need to keep an eye on the map to check where they are!!

 

[SPhilli911]

I only played for about an hour last night but my overall impression so far is that I really enjoy it, despite it's flaws. It brings me back to older arcade games, which in my view is a very good thing because sometimes unrealistic fun is what I want in a video game. The driving physics are better than I expected (sorta reminds me of Rallisport Challenge on original Xbox), the levels are well done and I, for one, think it's a pretty good looking game. 👍

I think my only major complaints are that the car sounds aren't so great and are too quiet in some cars, for example, the Toyota trophy truck. That and my game stutters from time to time (playing on standard PS4). 👎

 

[dzumaalcapone]

Would be nice to see side by side comparison of this game PS4 Pro and regular PS4. I'm on a regular and in one of the stadium tracks I think the fps dropped to 15 (or something like that) in one corner for a couple of seconds (every lap).

 

[ipswich1992]

Got it at midnight on release, played it all day Tuesday. Finished the game already with 87% trophies. It's a good game, but the handling is a bit funky (yes it's arcade, but so are lots of games and they handle based on your inputs), and it's very short. Aside from unlocking liveries I've no other reason to replay this. I love Milestone games but I really don't think this should be a full price title. Other than the season pass items I don't think this'll be played again, even if it's not bad. Shame

 

[FT-1]

So about that invisible car issue I was having yesterday... Running a different race in free play seemed to fix the issue.

I guess I can continue playing the campaign mode now, going back into the game with an open mind today.

 

[Ak1504]

Gravel | Cross Country | Mitsubishi ASX @ Alaska-Through the Caves

 

[lancia delta hf]

So PS4 is the only platform with no demo? PS4 has been trash for demos.

 

[torque99]

Here are the photo mode options for anyone who has not brought it yet - mainly a Free cam with added options 👍

 

[FT-1]

One Multiplayer has allowed me to see where this game really shines - Long cross country races. I've been only doing the short races so far in career mode but this is about as close to Forza Horizon levels of fun as this game gets. Those expansions better include more lengthy tracks.

Also, what an unfortunate shape for a track:

 

[Pfei]

So PS4 is the only platform with no demo? PS4 has been trash for demos.

PS4 demo is up on the Store.

 

[torque99]

One Multiplayer has allowed me to see where this game really shines - Long cross country races. I've been only doing the short races so far in career mode but this is about as close to Forza Horizon levels of fun as this game gets. Those expansions better include more lengthy tracks.

Also, what an unfortunate shape for a track:
View attachment 718004

I noticed a few 'unique' shaped tracks too

 

[MXH]

I wasn’t expecting AAA-level visuals but in places this feels more like an upscaled Xbox 360 game than an Xbox One title.

That's most likely the best way to describe the visuals of this game, atleast on the XB1. Although I personally think it's overall, rather than just only in places. I also find it looking way too blurry. It slightly reminds me of when a camera is not focused.

PS4 demo is up on the Store.

👍